It seems like everyone is using social media nowadays. From your family members to celebrities, everyone has something to share.
But social media goes beyond making social connections.
Businesses know that it provides the best marketing opportunities in today’s digital world. Any business should make the most of this coverage. But as a speaker, you need to use it to make necessary connections.
You may wonder what makes your business different than any other. The answer is simple: you’re in the business of communication. Talking to people is your bread and butter.
And social media can help you increase the power of your message.
If you aren’t using social media already, now’s the time to jump on-board. And if you’re a social media maven, maybe some of these techniques can help fine-tune your marketing strategy.
Whichever category you fall under, these techniques can help you tap into the power of social media and boost your speaking business.
Eight Techniques to Leverage Social Media for Your Speaking Business
Social media is one of the most potent marketing tools available. And it’s all yours for the taking. Find out how to use it effectively to boost your marketing efforts.
#1 – Encourage Your Audience to Get on Social Media
The last time you took the stage, do you remember seeing heads bent over phones?
Don’t get offended by that. Encourage it!
You want them to share what they think of your presentation. It’s a win-win situation.
They get new and unique content to talk about. And you? You get exposure to a broader audience. You can’t ask for better coverage than that.
#2 – Share Your Twitter and Other Social Media Accounts on Slides
It’s a good idea to include your handle and hashtags in slides. Not only does this keep you relevant in today’s culture, but it also improves your online visibility.
If you think sharing your handles on every single slide is a tad obnoxious, you can compromise. Go with your Twitter handle on your title slide. If you’re feeling bold, include it on every other slide, too.
You can also include an individual slide of all the social media platforms you’re on. This includes LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. Don’t forget to include other information like your bio and the event’s hashtag if applicable.
#3 – Tweet/Post about Your Presentation Before and After It
Use the power of social media to get the word out. Publicise your event on all your social media accounts. And make sure to talk about it before and after the presentation.
You can schedule some of this content in advance. This will give your business a steady and uninterrupted presence online. Otherwise, keep it a real-time engagement with your fans and followers.
#4 – Record it and Put it on YouTube
Are you recording your presentations?
If you aren’t already, this is something you should look into. Ask someone you trust to record the event.
You can use recorded presentations in different ways. Share little snippets with your followers on social media. Or you can even upload the entire presentation on YouTube – if you feel comfortable with it.
#5 – Make Your Presentation a Good Visual Experience
Do you know what’s boring? Watching someone stand behind the lectern during their speech.
There are times and places where that’s appropriate. But your presentation sure isn’t one of them.
Get up and move around the stage when you’re speaking. The entire stage is your arena. Own it and make it work for you.
When you move around, you also give your audience good photo opportunities. And you know what happens when they take photos, right?
Also, don’t forget to use props and other photogenic elements. You want a dynamic visual experience to emphasise your message and create a connection.
Appeal to their senses. Add elements that make your presentation more photogenic for social media. And don’t be afraid to tease them a little with theatrics.
#6 – Use Your Social Media Account to Send Personal Invitations
Use your social media accounts to reach out and send personal invitations. Your presentation may receive some advertisement. But nothing beats a personal invitation from the speaker themselves.
Get onto your Facebook account or use Twitter direct messages to issue the invitations. LinkedIn is also another avenue you can take to engage with your connections.
Just remember to keep the personal invitations to key, influential attendees. Other event organisers and top speakers may also receive a personal invite from you.
Let them know the where, why, and when of your presentation. And follow up with an invite to connect with them afterwards.
#7 – Use Your Social Media Account to Get More Speaking Gigs
First and foremost, you need a LinkedIn account. Most likely you already have one, so that’s a good thing. Now it’s time to use it for marketing.
Make sure to optimise your keywords to reflect the type of speaker you are. This way you’ll show up in more searches.
You’re not only a “public speaker.” You have expertise in a particular arena. When event planners look for experts, they’re searching for certain topics.
In addition, don’t neglect to give yourself a title.
Don’t settle for LinkedIn’s auto-populated job title. Remove it and use your own words. Doing this not only helps optimise searches on LinkedIn, but it also helps with Google’s search results.
You also want to create a separate job description for “public speaker.” Include your keynotes delivered, the average audience size, and the positive feedback you earned. And don’t forget your keywords.
Your summary section needs some attention, too. You can show off your expertise in this section. Make a case that you’re an expert in your field.
If you have them, upload some videos of you in action. Blogging is also a great way to talk about your speaking experience.
Is LinkedIn the only social media platform you use to land more speaking gigs? Expand your horizons!
Use Twitter to engage with other professionals. Follow and interact with them. Keep in mind, though, that you need an active account for this to work.
If you reply to someone else’s post, they may look at your profile. You don’t want them to see a couple of old posts and no other activity.
Instead, share content daily and consistently to show that you’re engaged with the community. Also, include relevant hashtags in your post.
Twitter and LinkedIn aren’t your only options.
Did you know that you can advertise directly to the people most likely to hire you on Facebook?
That’s right.
No longer is Facebook just a medium for keeping up with personal contacts. You can leverage the power of Facebook to target meeting planners with Facebook ads.
It works like this:
You do a little research and find some local events you’d like to attend. Next, create a promotional ad using your Facebook account and only send it to the organisers you selected. Once they click on your ad, the prospects get re-directed to your website.
Here’s the catch, though.
You need an awesome website with a great landing page. Work on this first before engaging in the Facebook ad tactic. This way, when the prospect sees your website, it’s the best representation of you.
#8 – Must-Have Social Media Accounts and Why You Need Them
You already know that you need LinkedIn. It makes you look professional. And you can reach out other professionals easily using this platform.
In addition, Twitter is a great platform to reach a wide audience quickly. Because of the nature of the Tweet, you can establish credibility and get in front of more people with a well-placed hashtag.
YouTube is also another platform to sign-up for. You may already watch videos on this platform, but it may be time to start some posts of your own. Get in front of more people and show them what you can do.
Of course, you need some quality video content first. So, that brings us back to the previous point. Ask someone to record your presentations and post the best ones on YouTube.
Lastly, SlideShare is a must for any speaking engagement. Most speakers use slides in their presentations. However, you want those slides to get out there.
When you create a SlideShare account, you can share them with your audience and event organisers. You can also use them to book future gigs by sharing them with prospects.
Harness the Power of Social Media to Give Your Business a Boost
It’s easy to take social media for granted. Everyone’s on it to keep up with personal connections. But it’s also a great marketing tool if you use it correctly.
Get onto the social media platforms that work best for booking speaking engagements. That means LinkedIn and Twitter for most of you. If you have a great website or video, that could also include YouTube and Facebook.
Also, remember that effective social media use starts with your presentations. Utilise your space properly and create opportunities for great social media sharing. Encourage your audience to use social media and don’t forget to interact with your followers.
You’re more than just a “speaker.” The audience wants to get to know you, not just your message. So, give them a chance to do exactly that using different social media platforms.
Looking for more techniques to leverage social media for your speaking engagements? We can help.
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